ANDY Jenkins can consider himself a very unlucky man. He has a conviction for spying but his only crime is bad timing.

With his fellow aeroplane enthusiasts Mr Jenkins was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

There is an element of naivety in their actions. They chose to tour an airbase in Greece, a country notoriously sensitive about its military affairs because of strained relations with former overlord Turkey.

The British tourists arrived when tensions were even higher in the aftermath of September 11. And when challenged, they discovered that Greece is a place where the hobby of planespotting is little known and less understood.

The party had sought and received assurances from the Greek authorities that their trip would not only be tolerated, but welcomed. Even so, their arrest can be attributed to a genuine misunderstanding, a clash of cultures.

But what happened next was a travesty of justice in any language.

Judging by Andy's experience, the Greek courts are a forum for disorder and confusion. The ultimate verdict of the court - that Andy should be jailed for spying - was blatantly unfair.

Now the good news. His campaign to clear his name received a very real boost yesterday. York MP Hugh Bayley had promised to take the case to the Foreign Office and, true to his word, he secured a meeting with Jack Straw.

The Foreign Secretary spent more than an hour discussing the case, a welcome sign that the Government takes it seriously.

Although the niceties of international diplomacy dissuaded the Foreign Secretary from criticising Greek justice, he has agreed to bring pressure on the authorities to speed up the appeal.

Mr Straw's intervention comes after Europe minister Peter Hain highlighted Andy's ordeal at the Council of Foreign Ministers in Brussels.

It is excellent that the Government is backing him at the highest level. We now anticipate that Mr Straw will offer the same level of support for another British victim of injustice abroad - Ian Stillman.

Updated: 11:06 Friday, May 24, 2002